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<title>Can We Speak In Flowers? It Will Be Easier For Me To Understand. by ineffablesaltflower</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27029644">Can We Speak In Flowers? It Will Be Easier For Me To Understand.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineffablesaltflower/pseuds/ineffablesaltflower'>ineffablesaltflower</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Flower Shop &amp; Tattoo Parlor, Enemies to Lovers, Everybody knows whats up except for them, Flower Language, Gimli owns the flower shop, Haldir gets a tattoo, Legolas is the tattoo artist, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, oblivious to feelings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:22:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,854</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27029644</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineffablesaltflower/pseuds/ineffablesaltflower</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Gimli owns the flower shop, Legolas opens his tattoo studio right next to him. Gimli knows he hates the new neighbour when his parking spot gets stolen by the elf. Legolas hates the grumpy florist. But how resistant can you be, when one gifts you flowers?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gimli (Son of Glóin) &amp; Legolas Greenleaf, Gimli (Son of Glóin)/Legolas Greenleaf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>86</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Can We Speak In Flowers? It Will Be Easier For Me To Understand.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello,<br/>It is I. I didn't think that I would actually finish it by now. I had some doubting hours earlier but then the fic almost finished itself. And here it is, the au no one asked for but you receive anyway.</p><p>I don't know if anybody thought of this idea before, but I thought about this classic trope and thought,,, what if he switch up the obvious roles. Also I love Gimli passive aggressively gifting Legolas things.</p><p>But a fellow haldir stan made me write it actually out.</p><p>And yes, I could not stop myself from including Haldir, even if it's only for two minutes.</p><p>But now I'm gonna stop talking and you can enjoy the fic.</p><p>xoxo,<br/>flower.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote><p>What you've got, boy, is hard to find.<br/>
I think about it all the time;<br/>
I'm all strung out, my heart is fried.<br/>
I just can't get you off my mind.</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="ujudUb"><p>I don't care what people say;<br/>
The rush is worth the price I pay.<br/>
I get so high when you're with me;<br/>
But crash and crave you when you leave.</p></div><div class="ujudUb"><p>
      <em>     Kesha – Your Love Is My Drug</em>
    </p></div></blockquote><p>Gimli dropped down the flower pot with a bit of more force onto the ground than necessary, the pot dangerously moving until it decided to stand still.</p><p>"I hate him.", he declared to his cousin Kíli, who was sitting on the table a bit further away.</p><p>"And what exactly has he done?", he asked, playing around with a leftover flower from the bouquet Gimli had made earlier.</p><p>"Existing? Isn't that enough of a reason?", he asked and blinked up at him. "He's — this parking spot around the corner was <em>mine</em>, I parked there every day. And he hasn't even opened his damn studio yet and now he just parked <em>there</em>."</p><p>Kíli tried to suppress his grin, because he feared that maybe Gimli would throw said flower pot he just moved further into the corner.</p><p>"I mean, that's pretty close to a crime, isn't it?", he couldn't help but tease him.</p><p>"Damn right.", Gimli agreed, not picking up the teasing sound and grumbled again. Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. The blonde had stared into his eyes as he just parked there while Gimli was a few seconds too late.</p><p>—</p><p>"You should've seen his face.", Legolas laughed as he threw his hair back over his shoulder to put it back into a bun. "He looked at me as if that parking spot belonged to him. I'm pretty sure he hates me."</p><p>Aragorn grinned softly and put the boxes of their take out together. He worked a few streets further and decided to come around to visit Legolas in his break, to see how it was going on his first day.</p><p>"So you barely opened your shop, like you're still moving in and you already found someone to hate you?", he asked and raised his eyebrow.</p><p>"Basically.", Legolas admitted and reached for the coffee. "But what was I supposed to do? I was there first and therefore that parking spot belongs to me now. At least for today. Tomorrow we'll see."</p><p>The elf turned back to his sketch book and smirked to himself, adding after a moment:</p><p>"I think the flower shop next to us belongs to him. I've seen him earlier from the back window."</p><p>This caused Aragorn to raise his eyebrow even more. "And you're going to tell me that you looked out of the back window that allows you to see his gardens to check if it was raining — or?"</p><p>Legolas tilted his head and nodded without looking up from the book.</p><p>"Basically."</p><p>Aragorn shook his head and let out a small laugh. Now this seemed to be getting interesting, but he decided to change topics. Or at least he tried to.</p><p>"So, about your grand opening party on Friday –"</p><p>"I am not inviting him.", Legolas dropped the pen onto the table and turned around to look at Aragorn while taking a sip of his coffee.</p><p>"I didn't even suggest that, Legolas.", Aragorn returned with an amused grin. Perhaps he slowly picked up what was going on here.</p><p>"Good.", Legolas grumbled and played with the paper cup. "I think I thought of everything. The catering is finally planned as well."</p><p>Legolas smiled in excitement, not thinking any further about his new shop neighbour. Or at least, well, thats what he told himself. That he wouldn't think any further about him.</p><p>—</p><p>"I heard theres a grand opening party on Friday next door.", Fíli announced as he was walking through the door. He was just here to pick up his brother, but decided to look through Gimlis flowers. Sometimes there truly were some gems to take along.</p><p>"Heard where?", Gimli asked and looked up from the collective of roses Kíli and he had sorted through.</p><p>"The glass windows. There's literally a sign. You can't tell me you haven't seen it this morning when you walked past.", Fíli explained and crossed his arms.</p><p>"Oh, we should go there.", Kíli decided and jumped up, getting rid of the dirt on his hand.</p><p>"No, we should not.", Gimli replied firmly and got rid off an almost dead rose. "Why would I go there anyway?"</p><p>"To see the owner you think is cute?", Kíli suggested and hid behind his brother, before Gimli could throw some dirt or whatever came in handy right now.</p><p>"I literally would never say anything like that.", Gimli simply replied and got up to clean his hands. "No party. I'm not going."</p><p>He already hated how easy it was for his cousins to read him. As if they knew something before Gimli knew it. As in, that the owner was in fact, a little bit cute.</p><p>No, no. He was not. He was absolutely annoying and unbearable. And Gimli would rather eat dirt before going to that party.</p><p>—</p><p>Of course he found himself three days later on that party.</p><p>"What is he doing here?", Legolas almost hissed at Aragorn and pointed into Gimlis direction.</p><p>Aragorn didn't even have to look there to know what Legolas was talking about. Perhaps because it was mainly his fault.</p><p>"I invited him and his cousins. I met them a few days ago.", he admitted and held up his hand. "Guilty as charged."</p><p>Legolas slapped his arm playfully and sighed. "You're awful, Aragorn."</p><p>"I know."</p><p>Legolas shook his head and moved towards his new..guests. He guessed he should greet them at least after all.</p><p>Gimli saw him approaching and probably would have turned around if not for his pride. So he just straightened his shoulders, realizing just how tall the elf actually was.</p><p>He would have cursed, but instead he forced himself to a grim smile.</p><p>"Congrats to your opening.", Gimli said rather passive aggressively and held up a small pot with a cute little cactus. It had started to grow a little blooming flower at the beginning of the week.</p><p>Gimli had no idea why he brought along a present anyway. It's not as if the annoying elf deserved such.</p><p>"Thank you.", Legolas replied, not exactly as passive aggressively, but a strange undertone in his voice.</p><p>The elf had hoped that at least the dwarves would absolutely show no common courtesy, so he could kick them out again. But instead — instead the annoying owner of the flowershop offered him a cactus which was completely adorable.</p><p>Not that he would keep it.</p><p>Not that he would put it on his desk later, right there next to his sketch book, so he could stare at it when everyone had left.</p><p>Unfortunately Legolas hadn't had much time to speak to the dwarf during the party. Soon after they had greeted each other and exchanged names, Legolas got busied by other guests.</p><p>Only later when Gimli left he had spoken to Legolas again.</p><p>"Don't overwater that little thing. It's a cactus, not a water plant.", he said, not as grumpy and definitely not as passive aggressively like in the beginning.</p><p>And Legolas only leaned against the open door, grinning lightly.</p><p>"Thank you. I truly wouldn't have known."</p><p>"Of course not." For a moment the dwarf squinted at him, before turning around and leaving. Legolas could have sworn that he had seen something like the hint of a smile hidden by the beard.</p><p>—</p><p>The next Monday went relatively unspectacular. Gimli and Legolas actually found two parking spots, so they didn't have to fight once more for the single one.</p><p>They opened their shops in silence and none of them annoyed the other with anything.</p><p>The peace shouldn't remain for long though. On the third day of working next to each other Legolas worked with open windows, having the music turned up while he was sketching up a new tattoo for a costumer later.</p><p>He might or might not have sang along, but either way, Gimli was more than annoyed after an hour and ready to throw hands.</p><p>He walked into the studio, without knocking or any further hesitation, glaring at the elf who sat all too innocently for Gimlis liking on his chair.</p><p>The blonde hair was braided in a seemingly complicated way over the elf ears, half a strand curled around Legolas' finger as he was thinking.</p><p>He nearly dropped his pen when Gimli stormed in like he had the audacity to.</p><p>"What are you doing here?", he asked and gestured around, before turning down the music as he realized that talking was probably much easier so. Though he did not doubt that the dwarfs voice would be loud enough.</p><p>"I can hear your music and your singing, all the way to my shop. My flowers need silence and peace to grow. The carnivorous already closed up so it didn't have to listen to /that/."</p><p>"So you mean to tell me, that your plants have no taste?", Legolas returned smoothly and his lips twitched into a grin.</p><p>"You —"  Gimli pointed with his finger at Legolas. "Are unbelievable."</p><p>Oh. The elf was going to drive him insane.</p><p>"Tone your music down or I will do it for you.", he left it at that, marching back out the way he came in. If he stayed only a minute longer, he might start seeing how pretty the elf actually was. With his braids and his amused eyes. It wasn't fair.</p><p>He was supposed to be angry at Legolas. But somehow the anger had left him as fast as it came.</p><p>Legolas actually did turn down the music at least a little, but surely not for the dwarf. Only for the incoming costumer of course.</p><p>In the evening, long after the flower shop had closed, Legolas finally stepped out into the fresh air of the night. He found a little carnivorous plant in a pretty pot next to his door, with a note attached to it.</p><p>"So you can find out yourself when your music is too loud."</p><p>Legolas laughed quietly, glancing at the pot with the plant for a long moment as he was slowly going back inside to give it a place. A nice one, by the window.</p><p>Only then did Legolas leave for the night.</p><p>—</p><p>It went on for a while like that. Legolas complained about dirt and earth in front of the shops, Gimli complained about the music chasing off his costumers and especially making his plants grow badly.</p><p>And if there was no reason to bicker, they could still find one. May it be the way the other looked at each other, or the way Legolas stared out of the back window to watch Gimli work in the gardens, with rolled up sleeves picking strawberries and radish.</p><p>And sometimes when Gimli walked past the studios wide front windows in the evening, and it was almost dark, he stopped for a brief second. He watched Legolas work with a costumer with bright light or just quietly drawing some things in the sketchbook, the hair and face illuminated by the soft lights and almost making the whole scenery seem unreal.</p><p>—</p><p>Gimli didn't know when it started, but one day he caught himself while unpacking a few new flowers, that he was looking for the prettiest and put them aside.</p><p>So the third time Gimli left a gardenia in front of Legolas shop. A white one in a dark pot. The white somehow reminded him of Legolas' hair.</p><p>Of course he only put it down in front of his door to annoy Legolas. It must annoy him, didn't it?</p><p>—</p><p>Legolas picked it up like those before, starting to put them all in front of the shops windows.</p><p>Somehow it didn't surprise him.</p><p>—</p><p>From then on, when he spotted the flowers in Legolas' studio window, Gimli left one every day. And Legolas always picked them up the same way. He sniffed at them, taking in their deep, rich smell, before taking them inside.</p><p>On the next Monday it was a pink hyacinth.</p><p>On Tuesday an orange lily.</p><p>On Wednesday Gimli chose a yellow ranunculus.</p><p>On Thursday, they met once again in front of the shop in the morning.</p><p>"Hey. Thank you for the flowers.", Legolas called out after a moment of silence as they unlocked both their doors.</p><p>"I have no idea what you're talking about, elf.", Gimli replied and shook his head, but was not able to hide a grin under his beard.</p><p>"Of course not. So perhaps tell the stranger who leaves flowers every day for me, that they are beautiful and I shall hold the gift close."</p><p>Gimli simply nodded, before quickly disappearing into his flower shop. He couldn't end up weak for the elf in public.</p><p>He was sweet if he could be. If he wanted to. </p><p>So on Thursday Gimli left Legolas a sunflower.</p><p>On Friday, Legolas brought him a coffee into the shop in the morning. Just like that. Only with a shouted "Good morning.", disappearing before Gimli could come out of the back rooms where he had been preparing bouquets for a wedding.</p><p>It became a habit for them both. Leaving each others gifts without ever talking to each other.</p><p>So on Friday, Gimli left Legolas a gillyflower. Legolas in return a cupcake.</p><p>On Saturday it was a protea. And in return another cappuccino.</p><p>On Sunday Legolas left him a small sketch, it showed the sight from Legolas' back room, with the windows towards the garden.</p><p>Gimli had been cutting roses in the afternoon. And Legolas must have watched him.</p><p>So on Sunday Gimli left him a small bouquet of roses, just quickly thrown together by the left over roses Gimli wouldn't sell. Some had little spots, or the blossoms were ripped. Some were too small, some too big. He chose all kind of colors.</p><p>It was a bit messy, but Legolas thought that he had never seen anything prettier in his whole life.</p><p>—</p><p>Haldir studied the variety of flowers in Legolas' studio, while Legolas' was finishing off his tattoo. "You do realize flowers have meanings.", Haldir said after a while of silence, Legolas' almost being lost in concentration.</p><p>"And what are you now? A flower expert over night?", Legolas grumbled, though he knew that Haldir was sort of exactly that. He always had a strong interest in nature and Legolas knew that. Unfortunately they knew each other for far too long.</p><p>"You don't know, do you.", the older elf grinned and leaned back. "Legolas. You're lost. You allowed the dwarf to court you without even noticing. There is no way he doesn't know what he had been doing the whole time."</p><p>"And you do realize, that I am sitting here with a needle? I might just write 'idiot' in this little leaf and you would not know.", Legolas grumbled again, but inside he longed to know the answer since Haldir had started about it.</p><p>"Let me tell you.", Haldir offered. "Which flowers did you get from him?"</p><p>"...all of them.", Legolas sighed and looked up for a moment. Only then did he realize that he might actually be a bit lost. You don't just send the neighbour you hate a handful of flowers.</p><p>—</p><p>"You did what??", Kíli almost shouted a few hours later when he dropped the bag of earth they had helped Gimli with. "You sent him flowers? Those we could see on his window?"</p><p>His cousin was way too excited and too loud about it. The elf might be able to hear them if he kept screaming like that. Though Fílis reaction wasn't that much better.</p><p>His other cousin only grinned to himself, but the grin was so far and wide, it made Gimli almost kick them out instantly.</p><p>"If you tell anyone —" He already regretted telling them. But perhaps he needed to tell someone else to realize that he didn't do it for nothing.</p><p>He did not send the flowers without meaning. Absolutely not.</p><p>"We won't tell anyone. Promise. I will make sure that he don't.", Fíli gestured to his brother and pulled said brother along to the door.</p><p>They were quite suspiciously in a hurry.</p><p>"We have to leave anyway now. I think someone just left Legolas' shop as well.", Kíli said when he realized what Fílis plan was and grinned at the younger dwarf.</p><p>"Perhaps you might want to talk to him."</p><p>With a laugh they finally disappeared and left Gimli to his thoughts.</p><p>Of course he did not go to talk to him.</p><p>—</p><p>The next morning Legolas' stole Gimlis parking spot again. With a pearly laugh and thrown back hair he walked past the dwarfs car.</p><p>Oh, how much he hated the elf. The elf and his too silky hair.</p><p>Later, around lunch time Legolas came around with two boxes of take out. Aragorn cancelled last minute, so he thought — why not try something risky today?</p><p>"I thought you might be hungry.", he offered the dwarf the box which was supposed to be Aragorns.</p><p>Gimli put down a bunch of daisys and considered the offer for a bit too long.</p><p>"Take it as an apology for me stealing your parking spot.", Legolas tried again, which seemed to end the weird tension between them.</p><p>They both had to laugh and Gimli reached for the box. He was actually quite hungry.</p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>Gimli lead him to the gardens, sitting down with the elf on the old bench that was still there from the previous owner.</p><p>At first they enjoyed their lunch in silence, but at some point Legolas' asked about what the daisys were for and the conversation developed itself from then on.</p><p>Without them realizing they were suddenly talking about everything. About nosey cousins, about annoying costumers, about friends that seemed to know everything better.</p><p>Perhaps a few costumers ended up in front of locked doors on both shops today. Because once they realized what time it was, it was almost afternoon.</p><p>"Oh. I gotta go.", Legolas quickly said and jumped up. "Ah. I might have already forgot a costumer who had an appointment an hour ago. Oh no."</p><p>He laughed a bit and hurried back inside.</p><p>"I should finish those bouquets. Otherwise there won't be a wedding decoration tomorrow."</p><p>Gimli reached for a small daisy.</p><p>"Legolas, wait."</p><p>And Legolas waited, even bending down a little once he understood what Gimli wanted to do. Gimli quickly adjusted the daisy between the pointy ear and the braided hair.</p><p>"There.", he simply said.</p><p>Legolas carefully touched it, smiling brightly. "Thank you."</p><p>"I still hate you.", Gimli said, but his voice held no malice anymore.</p><p>"I know. Wouldn't want it any other way.", Legolas grinned and waved him, before leaving.</p><p>What an unbelievable elf he was.</p><p>—</p><p>Two weeks after their spent lunch break together, Gimli had to close the shop for a whole week. He left to visit his hometown again, visiting his family and especially his parents.</p><p>He caught himself, when he was admiring the white wild flowers, that he actually came to miss Legolas. Sort of. Somehow.</p><p>—</p><p>Legolas was sure Gimli was gone for an eternity. At some point he worried that Gimli would not return at all.</p><p>He nearly drove Aragorn insane. Yes, now he knew the meaning of the flowers, but what should he give in return? Should he return it at all? What if that was only a dumb joke and he was reading too much into it?</p><p>So many thoughts, too much time. And yet Legolas found no answer.</p><p>He could only finally breathe again when he arrived in the morning and already saw light in the flower shop.</p><p>He immediately pushed open the wooden door, finding Gimli in the gardens with some roses again.</p><p>"Gimli.", he started, but suddenly he didn't know what to say again. Nothing seemed fitting.</p><p>Gimli understood the struggle. Also absolutely not surprised that Legolas showed up here. It was hard to put into words.</p><p>When did they stop hating each other and actually looking forward to meet?</p><p>"I've missed you.", Legolas said quietly then, staring at the ground, for it was the only words the elf could find and think of.</p><p>Gimli reached for Legolas' hand and wrist, letting his thumb caress over the complicated mix of leaves and flowers there.</p><p>Then he let go of it, reaching for Legolas' face to give him a quick kiss.</p><p>It was a chaste, fleeting kiss. A brush of lips, testing their waters.</p><p>Legolas' hands came up to bury themselves into the auburn hair of the dwarf.</p><p>They stood there for a few minutes, both their worlds crashing at the realization of how much they had wanted this.</p><p>Legolas let out a sigh when they finally parted, Gimli gazing up adoringly into his eyes.</p><p>"Here.", Gimli said with a surprisingly rough voice when the door bell indicated a new costumer, taking one of the rich crimson red roses and handing it to Legolas.</p><p>"See you tonight?", the dwarf boldly asked then without a further thought.</p><p>Legolas carefully took the offered rose, almost burying his nose into it to smell it.</p><p>A secretive smile played around the corners of his mouth when he was slowly walking backwards.</p><p>"See you tonight.", he said and and waved him again, before leaving.</p><p>When Legolas entered his studio, he cradled the rose pedals between fingers, smelling it again as he smiled to himself.</p><p>
  <em>And when Gimli brought him to dinner a bouquet of twelve perfect roses of different shades of red — well, Legolas surely needed no one to translate the meaning of them.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote><p>And all at once –<br/>
You are the one I have been waiting for.<br/>
King of my heart, body and soul.<br/>
And all at once, you're all I want;<br/>
I'll never let you go,<br/>
King of my heart, body and soul.</p><p>
    <em>Taylor Swift – King Of My Heart.</em>
  </p>
<hr/></blockquote><p>
  <em> <strong>Flower Meanings.</strong> </em>
</p><p>Gardenia: symbolizes purity and sweetness. They indicate secret love. They convey joy. They tell the receiver you are lovely.</p><p>Hyacinth: symbolizes playfulness and a sporty attitude and in its extreme rashness. Hyacinths also denote constancy. Red or pink stand for play.</p><p>Lily: symbolizes purity and refined beauty. An orange lily symbolizes passion.</p><p>Ranunculus: symbolizes radiant charm. It conveys a message that you are radiant with charm or you are attractive.</p><p>Sunflower: signifies pure thoughts. It symbolizes adoration and dedication. It is symbolic of dedicated love.</p><p>Stock, also common known as gillyflower: symbolizes lasting beauty and a happy life. It is indicative of bonds of affection and is symbolic of promptness.</p><p>Protea: stands for change and transformation. It signifies daring and resourcefulness. It is symbolic of diversity and courage.</p><p>A random mix of roses would convey mixed feelings or send a message: "I don't know what my feelings are yet but I sure do like you enough to send you roses."</p><p>Commonly rose bouquets consist of one dozen roses. They can be used to represent perfect beauty or to express complete love and gratitude. One dozen red roses have become the definitive symbol for true love.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you to those who endlessly support me and keep hyping me up. It means the world to me.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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